Not Everything is Single Player
by Demon General 04
Summary: Games are meant to be fun. They are supposed to give the player a chance to be someone else and escape the real world. Games are meant to let people gather together and make friendships. But even in games, people can still lie and be greedy. This is my first fanfic so give me any criticism you have and any info I've missed. This is an OC story with some cameos at certain times.


**_This will be my very first fanfiction and I really hope you all like it. This will be an OC story but will contain cameos or mentions of certain events in the SAO plot. Thanks I re-edited this again and got rid of certain things I realized I didn't need in order to keep consistent. Thank you for reading this story anyway. Chapter 2 is still in progress. My life likes to get in the way._**

* * *

**Not Everything is Single player**

**_Town of Beginnings (1st Floor)_**

_"Hey check out my character!" "Oh my God it's so cute!" "Dude let's make a guild." "I'm lost can anyone help me please?"_

Mace chuckled to himself as he walked through the hustling market. The single street was filled with players that were both just walking around and surveying the scene along with others who were just hanging out with each other and making guilds. It always surprised him at how easily their friendships were made over a game where they don't even know each other in reality. Bonds that could be easily turned off at the flip of a switch.

Just thinking about it made him want to laugh but he was interrupted by a running player who crashed into his shoulder making oblivion shift to the side. "Hey watch it." He growled at the player. He got up and waved at Mace. "S-sorry." The player got up and started weaving through the crowds as if he knew the place by heart. Before the player was out of view, he noted the guy's outfit. The player wore a blue shirt with a brown chest piece. He had a one handed sword on him but Mace thought it was strange to not see a shield on him.

"Hmph. He's one of those pl-ngh" He was interrupted again by another running player. "Sorry man." He said as the red headed player with a red headband got up and raced into the crowd.

Mace frowned. "That's it. I'm out of here. He turned around and began walking in the opposite direction towards the center of town. If anything, he wanted to get away from everyone.

He heard about [Sword Art Online] from his classmates at school. They wouldn't stop talking about how cool the trailers for the game were to the point where it actually interested him. He normally played games that didn't require teamwork and loved being the soloist he was whenever he did try a multiplayer game online.

Once the day of the launch for SAO arrived, he and the other 30,000 soon to be players lined up at local game stores all across Japan ready to buy their own copy. A game that puts your mind into the game itself and lets you move the way you want? Who wouldn't play a game like this?

* * *

**_Town of Beginnings-West Field(1st Floor)_**

"HYAAA!" Mace slashed at the wild boar and its hp dropped to zero. The boar then shattered into many prisms. Mace sat down on the grass giving a big sigh letting his heavy blade fall next to him. He had finally raised his level up to level 4 after killing what he guessed to be two herds of [wild boars]. He looked up at the sky and couldn't help but be amazed by how beautiful it was. The sun was beginning to set and the sky had become a burning orange. It amazed him to know that he was still in a game yet the world around him at the moment felt so real. What made him slightly sad was how real it all looked and felt around him but the real reality of it all was that he was still in a game. He knew that if he were to die out in the fields, he would still

"HYAA" Mace turned his head on his side to see a [wild boar] charging toward another player. The player also was charging toward the [wild boar] and made a slash at the beast but he was too early and the [wild boar] crashed into his stomach. The player fell on his back and cursed as his health bar reached red. He got up and readied his small dagger again for another strike. Mace couldn't help but chuckle at how stupid the noob looked.

Oh how he felt bad for the noob but he really didn't feel like helping him. Besides he knew that if he died, he would respawn back in town then come back here to retry at fighting the beast.

"DIE!" The player charged again getting ready to swing again but this time, he had swung too high just an inch above the [wild boar] and the boar smashed into his chest again. Mace saw the health bar finally deplete and the player cursed as his avatar shattered into small polygons that dissipated into the digital sky.

"Such an idiot." Mace muttered to himself as he got to his feet and walked over to the [wild boar]. It turned to face Mace and it charged at him running at full speed. Mace grinned and within 2 inches apart, he swung his heavy blade up cutting the beast clean in half. He gave a sigh as his "opponent" shattered into polygons like the other player.

[You Defeated Wild Boar.] [16 xp 50 gold acquired]

"A cheap win for a cheap kill." He tapped the [done] button and the screen in front of him disappeared. "He should've fought smarter if he wanted this stuff."

"Um excuse me?"

Mace looked behind him to see a girl standing before him. Her avatar had long beautiful teal hair and her eyes were emerald green. She bore a small beginners shield and sword. She walked up to him.

"Have you seen my brother?" Mace raised an eye brow at the girl. "Don't know who your brother is. What is his name?" "I-it was Kyrian. That was his name here." Mace searched his memory to see if he had met or seen anyone by that name.

"Sorry. I don't know. What did his avatar look like?" "He had brown hair and had a dagger. We both just barely joined the game just an hour ago." Mace didn't respond. "He had a dagger right?" The girl nodded. "What is your name?"

The girl looked at Mace curiously. "Does it matter?" "Well your name is hidden so I don't know who you are." "Oh! My name is Taira. Well... in here it's my name. What's yours?" "Mace. I think I did see your brother just a few moments ago." Her eyes lit up like light bulbs. "Where?"

Mace opened his mouth to answer her but she was engulfed in a blue flame and then she was gone. "What the hell?" Only a second after, his vision was also engulfed in the blue of the same flame and then he realized he was back in the center of the Town of Beginnings. He was not alone though. From what he could tell, there had to be almost all the players that had joined the game today.

* * *

**_Town of Beginnings(Floor 1)_**

"Mace!" He felt someone grab his arm and he saw Taira tugging at him. "What just happened?"

Mace looked around at the large crowd. He had no answer either. Maybe there was a problem with the game? _"Up there!"_

Mace looked up at the sky and saw a red blinking warning sign. "What is th-"In that moment the sky turned red by the many warning signs that now covered the sky. A red gelatinous fluid began to seep through the signs and was converging together to make the shape of a person. It wore a large red and gold hood and robe. Mace couldn't see the figure's face.

_"A Game Master?" "Why doesn't he have a face?" "Is this an event?"_

Mace stared at the hovering figure that towered over everyone. This had to be the game master. "Let's go." He said grasping Taira's wrist and began navigating through the crowd of players till they reached outside of the crowd. There were so many people in the area that it was amazing that he didn't lose Taira who was panting behind him.

The two were now free from the crowd and Mace looked back to see the Game Master with miniature screens floating around him. They seemed to be videos or news broadcasts from all over Japan.

"_I regret to inform you, that if your hp reaches zero," _the GM gave a pause._ "then you will die as well in reality._"

It seemed like everything around him had stopped with just that one sentence. "If we die here…we really die?" he asked himself. Mace looked at Taira who had also been listening to the GM. Her eyes were wide open in astonishment.

_"One more thing." _The GM said._ "If you check your inventory, you will see a special item already in there."_

Everyone swiped their hands to make their menu's appear. Mace tapped on inventory and in the list of items that he had gathered from the fields was an item named [mirror]. He tapped on it and in his hand appeared a small mirror. He could see his reflection. His avatar had white spiky hair and yellow eyes. He always liked his character to look like this in all games he played. It just fit.

All of a sudden screaming began and Mace looked up to see the other players being engulfed in blue flames. He heard Taira scream and he watched as she was also engulfed by a flame. "What the hell is going on here!" he yelled and he felt a tingling sensation that lasted only for a second.

The feeling faded as fast as it had come and Mace opened his eyes. "Taira!" He turned to his side and realized that everyone around him had changed characters. "M-Mace?" he heard her say behind him. He sighed in relief and turned to face her.

Instead of Taira with her long teal hair and emerald green eyes, he was met with the visage of a young girl that was about his height. She had short brown hair that ran to just above her shoulders. Mace then realized what had just happened and looked in the mirror again. He saw his face. His real face. "Sort black hair and dark brown eyes. He backed up and dropped the mirror. It hit the ground and shattered into polygons.

"_Good luck to you players._" Was the last thing Mace heard the GM say as it dissipated into the sky as red dust. The sky then returned back to the fiery orange that it had once been before the event. Silence plagued the area until a scream from a girl in the crowd rang. That was when chaos ensued as everyone panicked yelling, screaming, asking questions, everything great about the newest popular VR game had just been ripped away with a dash of reality.

"Mace!" Taira tugged on his arm and he was snapped out of his trance and the screams of panic filled his ears. He grabbed Taira's hand and pulled her along and running through the empty Town of Beginnings.

In a few minutes the two were far away from the crowd.

* * *

The two stood in the middle of a street that was the Bustling Market. All that remained there was nothing but NPC's that stood motionless in their vendors. Taira and Mace panted heavily and gasping for air. Mace stood up and threw his fist in the air. "WHAT THE HELL!?" he yelled to the sky.

"U-um Mace-san?" said Taira softly. Mace brought out his sword and went over to an NPC. The NPC turned it's head and smiled. "Hello. Welcome to my sho-." Mace slashed at the NPC but the blade bounced against an invisible shield. A sign popped up that read [Immortal object].

Mace yelled in rage and began slashing again only to be bounced back. Taira stood away watching the angry teen try to kill the "defenseless" shopkeeper.

It was hours later that Mace stopped. Taira still stood there silent and just watched as Mace fell to his knees. The sky was already dark and torches on the buildings had been lit. They were still the only two players in the street.

"Mace…?" said Taira as she walked to his side. She noted Mace's sword was now lying in front of him on the ground. "Come on. We should go find others to help."

"Aren't you a beginner to a game like this?" he said in a low tone.

Taira's eyes lowered. "Y-yes but I can learn as we go. Like he said, we just need to beat the game by reaching the top floor. My brother is really good at these kinds of games. He's told me how he was the master at fighting large high level monsters by himself. If we can find him then we can make it to the top before the end of the week."

Mace's eyes didn't look at her. He continued to stare at the ground. "He told you all that?"

She nodded her head. A smile spread across her face so large that Mace couldn't help but feel guilty at what he was about to say. "I-I think I know where he is." He said earning a gasp from Taira. "Where then?" Her eyes brightened up like a child's. Guilt plus the realization that death was very possible in this game was not helping at all with the moment.

"He's.." Mace looked at the girl. Although she wasn't her avatar anymore, he couldn't help but admit that he was surprised to see such a cute girl playing a game like this. Best of all she was a shield user. With her help they could survive to the top of Aincrad. It felt horrible but he needed to win. In this game soloing could be dangerous considering he was still getting used to the game as well. He was used to single player games but he knew that not everything is single player. "He's….also looking for you he said. Last I saw him he left the fields you found me in. He was taking on a giant hoard of [wild boars] by himself and killed them all with ease."

The feeling in his stomach increased with every word. Lying to this girl was horrible but if he had to survive, then he would do it.

Taira took his arm in her hands looking up at him with wide bright eyes. "Really?! YAAY!" she started to pull him along down the street towards the gates that opened to a dirt path going to another town that Mace didn't have a chance to read the sign. "We need to find him so he can help us."

Mace tried stopping but Taira wasn't letting him. "Do you even know where to go?" he asked. She turned to face him with a big smile. "Nope." She turned away and started walking down the dirt path. "But maybe we'll find clues of where he is." She turned back to face him again but this time the twilight from the horizon seemed to make Taira give off a glow that was breath taking to Mace. With a smile she asked a question that began their adventure in Sword Art Online.

"Shall we go?"


End file.
